Did you know you can manage repeat prescriptions from your (surgery/practice name) in the NHS App?

You can easily choose where your prescriptions are sent. So, if you know you'll be away from home or you are moving home, you can change your nominated pharmacy from within the app.

You can also order your prescription at any time that suits you. There's no need to wait to join a telephone queue or wait until the GP surgery opens.

It's easy to use, and, if you hit a snag, you can go to 'help' in the top right-hand corner of the app or visit www.nhs.uk/helpmeapp.

Find out more about the NHS App at www.nhs.uk/NHSapp

Important information for patients currently on hospital waiting lists. PIDMAS

The NHS has been working hard to address the backlogs built up during the COVID pandemic. As part of these plans, the NHS will be proactively contacting patients who have been waiting a long time for NHS funded treatment to remind them of their right to request to move to an alternative hospital where they may be seen quicker. 

From Tuesday 31^st October new digital portal called the Patient Initiated Digital Mutual Aid System (PIDMAS) will be introduced. Patients who have been waiting 40 weeks or more can use this portal to request an alternative choice of hospital.   

Any patient who is eligible will receive either a SMS text message or a letter from their current hospital explaining how to request to choose a different hospital.

Please do not contact the practice regarding this process as we have no information regarding individual patients. 

 The hospital will contact you if you are eligible. Please do not contact them either.   

 Further information about alternative choice is available on hospital websites. 

Accessing your GP-held records via the NHS app or NHS website

As your GP practice, we have been asked to provide you with, no later than 31 October 2023, access to your full medical record going forward via the NHS app (and NHS website) if you have a suitable NHS login

Your GP medical record contains consultation notes based on conversations between you, your GP and their team: medicines prescribed to you; all test results including hospital investigations; allergies; vaccines; and your medical conditions along with documents that may have been sent from local hospitals, clinics or other agencies, eg the police. There is likely to be sensitive and personal information within your medical record.

We are supportive of providing you with access to your record, but we wish to do this safely and make you aware that this is happening so that you can opt out, if you so wish. You may wish to speak with us first to understand what it is that you will see, and the risks which may be involved in having such confidential data either on your smartphone with the NHS app installed or online if other people might have access to that information through your devices. If you are in a difficult or pressured relationship for example, you may prefer your records to remain accessible only to those treating you, with them not appearing on your smartphone or online. Government has been clear that if a patient does not wish to have access, then we do not have to provide it. This is one reason why we have asked if you wish to opt out, or have it switched off for the time being.

For those who would like access, we are happy to explain the different levels you might like. Everyone can have access to their medication history and allergies, for example, and will be able to order their repeat prescriptions. It’s also possible to request access to what we call your ‘coded record’ where you can see a list of medical problems and results. You can also request access to the ‘full’ record where you will be able to see everything, including the notes which have been written by doctors, nurses and others involved in your care, at the GP surgery, and elsewhere.

It’s important to remember that these documents may, at times, contain information that could be upsetting, especially if they contain news of a serious condition. It can also be a cause for worry seeing results online when it isn’t clear what the results might mean, and no one is available to ask, as can be the case during the evening or at weekends, for example.

Sometimes people with a mental health condition might prefer not to see documents that remind them of difficult times in their life. Letters from mental health teams sometimes go into detail about past events, and great care would be needed in deciding whether you would want to see these letters. It is possible for individual items to be hidden at your request and your GP would be happy to talk about any concerns you may have.

Great care is also needed in case private details might cause harm at home, should people in a difficult or pressured relationship be forced to show their medical record to an abusive partner. Anyone in such a position should make this clear to us at the practice, so we can take steps to keep you safe. This might mean removing access through the NHS app for the time being, or through a careful process where we hide sensitive things. We would talk this through with you.

Requesting access – what do I need to do?

The easiest way to get access is to create an NHS login through the NHS app. Although you can also access your GP records via the internet on a computer, the first bit is easiest if done through a smartphone. If you don’t have one, you may have a family member or friend you trust who can help you. You can also ask your practice receptionist, but you’ll need some proof of who you are, eg a passport, driving licence or household bill.

If you use the NHS app, you’ll have to set up an account using a unique e-mail address and then ‘authenticate’ yourself to the NHS system to prove you are who you say you are. This will involve confirming your name, date of birth and contact details. The NHS login has several levels of authentication and to gain access to your records you’ll need the highest level of authentication. This generally involves you recording a short video of yourself to prove you are a real person as well as uploading a copy of a suitable identification document. Your GP practice can bypass this step if you are struggling, but we’d ask you to try to sign up to the NHS app yourself.

Once you have suitably authenticated yourself to the NHS app and created your NHS login you can approach your practice and ask for access, being mindful of the risks associated with access and the importance of not sharing passwords or having them stored in your smartphone if you think other people might want to see them without your permission. If you have any concerns, you should explain these to your GP practice team who can guide you.

Your GP practice will have a form they will ask you to complete, with your NHS login (this will be the email address you used to sign up) and then you will have a chat about access and your agreement and understanding will be requested. Once you are happy to get online access, your request will be passed to the clinical team to review. It may be that the practice wishes to contact you to discuss your request if there are any concerns raised so that access can be given safely. We’re not sure how many people will ask for access all at once so there may be a wait, but we will do our best to get you online access as soon as we can.

The form to request access can be collected from Reception.

Advocacy Service

An advocate can be used and is a person who supports someone who may otherwise find it difficult to communicate or to express their point of view.  Advocates can support people to make choices, ask questions and to say what they think.  The North Lincolnshire Advocacy Service offers the following services:

Care Act Advocacy

Advocacy for people with mental health needs

Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)

Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

Relevant Person’s Representative

Advocacy for older people

Advocacy for people with physical or sensory impairment

Help with making NHS and social care complaints

Appropriate adult service for people with a learning disability

General advocacy for people with a learning disability

 They can be contacted via their website:

https://cloverleaf-advocacy.co.uk/areas/north-east-lincolnshire

Or by telephone: 0303 303 0413

CLEE MEDICAL CENTRE ARE PLEASED TO SHARE THE BELOW LETTER OF ACHIEVEMENT from NHSE

Achieving 77% of your hypertensive patients treated to target.

I am writing to congratulate your GP Practice for your performance against the CVD Prevent Indicator “Percentage of patients aged 18 and over, with GP recorded hypertension, in whom the last blood pressure reading (measured in the preceding 12 months) is below the age appropriate treatment threshold.”

As you will be aware the NHS 2023/24 priorities and operational planning guidance identified hypertension as a key priority, setting the objective: “Increase the percentage of patients with hypertension treated to NICE guidance to 77% by March 2024.” 

The CVDPREVENT data https://www.cvdprevent.nhs.uk/home has just been published including data up to the end of March 2023.

We are delighted to say that your GP Practice are treating 77.30% your patients to the age appropriate thresholds.

A key milestone in our journey to achieving the operational planning guidance ambition for patients with hypertension.

You are one of only a few General Practices in the North East and Yorkshire Region achieving this target and as such I wanted to take the time to congratulate your Practice and the work of your staff, that has contributed to progressing this ambition for your population.

Prevention is at the heart of the NHS Long Term Plan and the Plan includes a major ambition to prevent 150,000 strokes and heart attacks over the next ten years by improving the treatment of the high-risk conditions including: hypertension, Hypercholesterolaemia and atrial fibrillation.

By ensuring that so many of your patients are treated to target for their hypertension makes a fantastic contribution to the NHS being able to realise this ambition and prevent heart attacks and strokes for your patients.

Please keep up this excellent work.

We will continue to monitor this work and hope that other PCN’s can quickly match your achievement.

Yours sincerely

Dr Yvette Oade Regional Medical Director North East & Yorkshire

Dr Tim Butler GP, Assistant Medical Director SRO Diabetes and CVD Prevention North East and Yorkshire

CLEE MEDICAL CENTRE ANNOUNCMENT

Clee Medical Centre is pleased to announce we have been able to secure some additional clinical rooms within Stirling Street Medical Centre and we will be offering patients appointments at the Branch Site from June 5th, 2023.

What does this mean for YOU as a patient?

Nothing will change in how you contact us.  Please continue to call 01472 697257 to make your appointments.

If you are offered an appointment at the Branch Site, you will be informed at the time of booking and sent the appropriate details of where to go via text.

We look forward to seeing you at both premises soon.

Presentation of Patient Award

Clee Medical Centre has had the recent pleasure of being able to present to our patient Mrs DAWN TAYLOR the Nabarro Medal.  

This is in recognition of living with and managing Diabetes for over 50 years.  

When asked the secrets to her success in managing her condition Dawn said it was a careful process, that changes every day, learnt through trial and error on some occasion, relating to what she has eaten.  However Dawn has never let her condition stop her from doing what she wishes. 

Dawn said she felt supported in her care by the surgery and would like to support the practice in helping other patients manage their condition.

Photo below of Dr Saleem presenting the award, in the presence of Dr Sibtain and Dr Illyas

Thrive - social prescribing:

All prescribers within, Humber, Coast and Vale including non-medical prescribers, GPs, extended hours, urgent care and A&E departments, should offer education and advice to support self-care when appropriate and not routinely prescribe readily available over the counter (OTC) medicines. This guidance does not remove the clinical discretion of the prescriber in accordance with their professional duties.
Community pharmacists should support this approach and not routinely advise patients to request their GP to prescribe OTC medicines available for self-limiting conditions and minor health conditions where these are available to purchase.

Some of these groups are more at risk of developing potentially serious complications of flu, such as pneumonia (a lung infection).

Others are more at risk of passing flu on to vulnerable people should they catch the virus.

SEPSIS is a rare but serious complication of an infection.

Without quick treatment, sepsis can lead to multiple organ failure and death. 

For more information please press HERE

Out of Hours contact numbers

If you have an urgent health need, that is not an emergency, when the practice is closed, please call Freephone number 111.
If you have a Mental Health or Adult Social Care need please ring 01472 256256.
If your need is an emergency please dial 999.

Learn More about Care Navigation

Care navigators' can play a crucial role in helping people to get the right support, at the right time to help manage a wide range of needs. This may include support with long term conditions, help with finances and signposting to a range of statutory and voluntary sector services.

Our reception team are fully trained in care navigation and are here to help you....... so please do not be offended if your receptionist asks you what your problem is when you call us for an appointment.  For more information click on the links below...

care navigation

Care Navigation Video

What is the Herbert Protocol?

The Herbert Protocol is a national scheme which encourages carers and families to record vital information on a form which could be used in the event of a vulnerable person going missing.

The protocol was introduced by West Yorkshire Police and named after George Herbert, a war veteran of the Normandy landings, who lived with dementia.

So far 55 people with dementia have gone missing in Lincolnshire since January 2017, out of a total of 411. This is 13%. 

Please click on the link below for more information....

https://www.lincs.police.uk/news-campaigns/campaigns/the-herbert-protocol/

A new data privacy law will be introduced in the UK in May 2018

We're making it easier for you to find out how we handle your prescription information. Click on the link below for more information.....

data privacy